Lower frequency Electromagnetic Radiation (EMR) and higher frequency Radio Frequency (RF) radiation are all around us. These radiations are referred to Electromagnetic Fields (EMFs), also known as electromagnetic pollution. This pollution has been on the rise over the last 50 years from sources such as house wiring, power lines, TVs and desktop computers just to name a few.

Laptop Radiation

Laptop use in business, homes and in schools continues to increase. They are a convenience and a necessity in most cases. This poses the problem. When we use laptops directly in our laps we are exposed to radiation fields at a zero distance to our bodies. In the scientific and medical communities there is a growing concern of the effect of laptop radiation to the adult body. But what about our kids? Laptop radiation can be a technology toxin.

What are Electromagnetic Fields (EMFs)?

Electromagnetic Fields (EMFs) are energy emissions generated from within our laptop and other electronics devices we use in our laps. Lower frequency Electromagnetic Radiations (EMRs) are radiations emitted from the various electronic components within our devices such as computer processors, hard drives and other electronic parts. The higher frequency Radio Frequency (RF) emissions are the transmitting signals being generated by our devices to communicate to the internet using WiFi and cellular connections. Both can be dangerous.

The idea that children use laptops, iPads and other devices in the lap is worrisome. Radiating fields are at the highest of intensity and likely, remain in the lap for long durations of time. Intensity, time and the combination of Electromagnetic Fields (EMFs) increase the potential health risks, particularly because children are more susceptible to their dangers than adults.

Children are at Increased Risk

A child’s body absorbs more Electromagnetic Fields (EMFs) than adults, according to many reports including The Stewart Report (2000) and other studies. In fact, in reviewing these reports, we find that children absorb up to 60% more energy per Kg of body weight than adults do. These radiating fields can penetrate bone marrow up to ten times greater in children than adults. The effects of these exposures can be accumulative and will span their lifetime at rates never seen by today’s adults or previous generations. The child can experience darkening of the skin, DNA damage, fertility issues, electromagnetic hypersensitivity and many other health concerns.

Protect Your Children Laptop EMF Radiation

With Electromagnetic Fields (EMFs) from electronic devices potentially more dangerous to children than adults, steps should be taken to reduce the health risks. When possible, children using laptop computers, iPads and other electronic devices should place them on a desk or table, as a way of avoiding direct contact with the body. If a child should use these devices in their laps, a laptop radiation shield should be used to prevent Electromagnetic Fields (EMFs) from penetrating their young body in the very formidable years of their life.

Invasion! Columns of lanky, metallic and freakishly tall cellphone antennae are marching into the city. And we are soon going to be surrounded by towers that spew electromagnetic radiations at us.

With the Centre ordering cellphone operators to down-ladder the radiation limits of each tower, the operators are forced to put up more towers to make up for the loss of range. Starting September, the radiation limit of cellphone towers will be tuned down from 9.2 w/m2 (watt per square metre) to 0.92 w/m2, and it sounds good.

But what is bad is that the range of a tower will dip from an average of 1km. And cellular operators have begun hunting for sites to install towers to keep reception crisp. In short, the city’s skyline will be littered with unaesthetic towers – double the number (4,000) presently in the city. The decision to lower the level of radiation comes after an inter-ministerial panel formed by the ministry of communications and information technology studied on the hazards of electromagnetic field radiations from base stations and mobile phones.

Data shows that India’s current radiation exposure limit (9.2 watt/m2) for mobile towers is higher than in countries like Russia (0.2 w/m2) and China (0.4 w/m2). However, in the US, Canada and Japan the radiation limit is much higher (12 w/m2).

But the benefits earned by slashing the radiation level are squandered by allowing the spawning of towers. Director general of Cellular Operators Association of India Rajan S Mathews said the new policy would only help in increasing the level of radiation. “”There are nearly 4.5 lakh towers across the country. Some of the mobile towers are also being shared by various telecom companies. We will no longer be able to share the towers as we have to keep the frequency low.”” In short, for each his own. Rajan said: “”There will be more towers in residential areas. Otherwise it’ll affect 3G and broadband services.””

Cellular companies spend nearly 25 lakh for setting up a tower. More towers mean a slash on the profits. “”We pay a rent of nearly Rs 10,000 -50,000 per month. If we are forced to cut the radiation limits, then we have to put up towers,”” said a senior official of a private cellular company. When one section of residents sees potential revenue from a tower, another sees it as an hazard. But the jingle of money wins over the din for safety. In Chennai, when companies want to put up a tower, they send crews who identify feasible sites and approach property owners with offers.

The government plays no role in sanctioning the towers or ensuring safety. The corporation itself isn’t aware of the number of towers in its backyard. An apartment resident in Velachery said: “”We have installed three mobile towers on top of our buildings. We use the rent from the cellphone towers for building upkeep.”” He is least worried about the impact of radiation on health. “”There are several towers surrounding us. If we don’t allow one above our apartment, somebody else will.””

Flipping open a small jade-green box, Pranav Poddar unveils a shiny maroon-coloured object the size of a sim card. This is the enviro chip that changes the constant nature of radiation, harmful for the human body, to a random one, which is safer, he says as he carefully fixes the glistening device slightly above the centre of the back panel of a mobile phone. The position where you fix it is important, as its efficacy at controlling the mobile phones radiation depends a lot on its location, adds the director of the Delhi-based Synergy Environics, which provides solutions for electromagnetic radiations emitted from mobiles, computers and cell phone towers.

As concerns about the harmful health effects of radiation increase, especially from cell phone towers, a number of companies are offering anti-radiation devices which they claim can mitigate the hazards. Environics solutions, for instance, include, besides chips for mobiles, laptops and computers, customized strips for placing around cell phone towers. A similar protection against radiation from towers is offered by Mumbai-based NESA Radiation Solutions. Among the products in its portfolio are radiation detectors as well as shielding films and curtains which can be put inside buildings close to towers. The electronic components in the shielding films can convert microwave energy into heat energy and then dissipate it. They have been found to have 90-95 % effectiveness, says the companys director, Neha Kumar.

Another range of products offered by Delhi-based Green8 India includes cellular foils manufactured in Germany that can be put underneath the mobile phones battery to reduce radiation. The companys solution for tower radiation is a transformer, labeled PST 28, which Suneel Sardana, the firms CMD, says neutralizes radiation and creates a protective zone within a radius of up to 33 metres.

But despite the proliferation of these devices, their acceptability among consumers is still quite low.According to K Kanan of Chennai-based Portoworld that markets an antiradiation chip called Radisafe, a major reason for slow sales in India is because the effects of radiation are not immediately visible and people are not bothered about it too much. We have scant respect for health in our country, unlike the West where diseases arising from radiation are a major concern. In fact, sales of our products are high in the US, Europe and even countries like the West Indies and Mozambique. However, it is just a few thousand units in India which, ironically, has a mobile phone subscriber base of nearly 90 crore.

Cell phone companies though, not surprisingly, brush aside the efficacy of these products and even the need for them, saying there is no conclusive evidence to prove that emissions from mobile towers cause health hazards. The government has adopted and implemented the ICNIRP (International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection Board) standards for the telecom sector in the country which is considered to be one of the best in the world and has been adopted by over 90% of nations. It ensures abundant precautionary limits for exposure from base stations and phones. So there is no question of any instrument, device or product being necessary for protecting consumers from such emissions. They are simply a waste of money, says Rajan S Mathews, director general of the Cellular Operators Association of India.

Anti-radiation product proponents say they expect this reaction from a very strong cell phone lobby in the country. Acknowledging that these products are working is tantamount to the mobile companies admitting that their own phones and transmission towers are emitting harmful radiation in the first place, which they will never do, says Sardana.

But the fact remains that the lack of effective standards for rating these devices is a stark, gaping hole in their claims. N K Goyal, president of the Communications and Manufacturing Association of India, says the field remains somewhat of a grey area. There are many products which are available in the market now.In the absence of certification from a credible agency like, say, the Bureau of Indian Standards, it is very difficult to find out which is good and which is bad. Also, not much indigenous research has been done on anti-radiation devices in the country. Poddar of Synergy Environics says they have been studying the subject on their own for the past few years and have recently carried out medical tests in association with Delhis Max Hospital, which showed encouraging results. We would also like to test our products on a larger scale with an established protocol and cooperation from the telecom industry, says Poddar. However, a few of the mobile tower manufacturers we have approached say they can allow radiation protection devices on their towers only if there is a legislation from the government to do so. The main issue, undoubtedly, is of awareness among more people. Once awareness increases, we are sure the demand for these products will be in the form of a huge tidal wave.

We’ve all heard about it – mobile phones are harmful to health. There are several chain emails, Facebook and Twitter updates about it. We wanted to get to the bottom of it all. So we caught up with Neha Kumar an expert on the topic of mobile radiation and director, NESA, a firm which designs radiation measurement and shielding equipment. She has been studying about radiation from cell phones/towers for about three years and has interacted with experts, researchers, doctors and patients around the world who have been affected by prolonged exposure to cell phone/tower radiation.

Excerpts from the interview:
How exactly does mobile radiation cause health problems?
Mobile phones and towers emit electromagnetic radiation having health effects which can be divided into thermal and non-thermal. Thermal effects refer to heating effect which you observe if you hold the phone for long near your ear.
Non-thermal effects on the cells, genes and the DNA and are more harmful than thermal effects.
Excessive use of mobiles can lead to headache, sleep disturbance, lack of concentration, memory loss, tinnitus (ringing in the ears) and increased risk of brain cancer.
Having mobile towers in your neighbourhood can also pose health problems like severe headache, sleep disturbance, constant body pain, memory problems, joint pains etc. The more severe health effects noted include infertility, miscarriage, neurodegenerative disorders (Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, etc.), heart problems and cancer.

Are these mobile radiations more harmful for any particular demographic?
Children are more vulnerable due to a developing immune system and thinner skulls which allows radiation to penetrate deeper. Women run the risk of health problems like hormonal imbalances, miscarriages, breast and ovarian cancer as they tend to spend more time at home and are exposed continuously.

Is there any solid evidence to back the findings that these radiations are harmful to people?
There are several national and international studies where scientists have found a strong correlation between health problems and exposure to microwaves from mobile phones and mobile towers. Prof Girish Kumar from IIT Bombay had sent a report to Department of Telecommunications (DOT), India which has more than 200 references from peer reviewed publications in the end.

What precautions can you take to reduce your exposure to the radiation from mobile phones?
Some precautions that you can take:
Limit your use, talk for short durations and switch sides during long conversations. SMS/IM chat whenever possible.

Use the land-line, whenever possible
Use speakerphone or wired hands free, but keep the phone at least 1 feet away.
When not in use, keep the mobile phone away from your body as they still continue to emit some radiation while trying to communicate with the base station by sending at least one pulse per minute. Do not keep it in your pocket, under your pillow etc.
Use cell phones with lower Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) values. One can find the SAR value of a phone by simply searching- SAR. The lower the SAR value, the less dangerous it is. Ideally go for a phone which has SAR value – 0.2 – 0.8 W/Kg

If towers are responsible is the Govt. doing anything about it? Are there any regulations that mobile companies have to follow?

Till 2009, the Indian government had not adopted any standards for safe exposure from mobile phone and mobile towers. In 2009, India adopted radiation norms specified by ICNIRP (International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection) guidelines of 1998. However, ICNIRP guideline is outdated as it is only intended to protect the public against short term gross heating effects and NOT against ‘biological’ effects such as cancer and genetic damage from long term exposure. Also these safety standards are based on 6 minutes per day exposure, without accounting for people who live close to cell towers 24/7.

In Jan 2011, the report by Inter-Ministerial Committee mentioned several health hazards at levels thousand to ten thousand times below the ICNIRP standards and made recommendations to reduce the exposure to 1/10th of what ICNIRP had earlier recommended. However, even that has not been implemented yet.

If someone lives near mobile towers, what can they do about it? How can they detect whether they are being harmed or not? Who can they complain to?

If someone lives close to a mobile tower:
One can request the operators to reduce the power transmission
Change the angle of the antenna so that no house falls in the main beam of the antenna, or Go for Shielding Solution

For detection, NESA has come up with a low cost, simple and easy to use Cell Tower Radiation Detector, DETEX 189 which is based on the health recommendation by Bioinitiative Group. It has an LED indicator as well as buzzer to find if one is living in a safe, caution or danger zone. Unfortunately, right now in India there is no e-mail id or authority where one can directly complain. However, one can try writing to TUG/DOT/TRAI.

Is there any active research/initiative taking place to counter these harmful effects? What alternatives do people have?

All over the world, people are going for fibre optic solution, low power transmitting antennas and in-building solutions and repeaters.Alternatively, areas where the radiation levels are high, people can go for radiation shielding solutions like – Window Shielding Film, Shielding Curtains, Radiation Shield units etc.

JAIPUR: A division bench of the high court issued a showcause notice to as many as 13 mobile companies besides central and state authorities on the issue of health hazards being caused by high frequency radiations emitted by mobile towers posing serious threat to public health and safety.

The court order came on a PIL filed by a retired Judge of the Rajasthan High Court, Jusitce I S Israni and others. Counsel for Israni, Prateek Kasliwal told a division bench of Chief Justice Arun Mishra and Justice N K Jain (senior), “”The mobile towers are having no fixed criterion of emission of radiations and there were nine major directions given by the inter-ministerial committee in recent past but the same are also not being followed. It was directed that all the towers will have a display of the emission strength of the radiations. Permission should be sought before putting a mobile tower near school, in residential colony, and public places but the same were also not followed.””

It was also contended that the radiations of mobile towers act like microwave rays and cook the brain as well as body cells resulting in brain, skin and other cancers, while also causing other congenital problems in infants and young children. The petitioners also brought it to the notice of the court that the central government passed certain rules to put a check on the irregular radiation emissions from these mobile towers but on March 23, 2011 a ban was placed by local bodies on taking any coercive action against the mobile companies.

The petitioner also highlighted radiation norms being adopted in various countries and stressed on studies and illeffects of the radiation emissions from mobile towers on animals, plants and human beings. Looking at the gravity and the potent of threat to the human and animal lives the division bench has directed state and Central authorities to file a response to the writ petition within a period of four weeks.

Petitioner Justice Israni also brought to the notice of the court that a legal notice was duly served upon the state and the Central authorities but no action was taken by them forcing him to approach the court.

Today, almost every individual uses a mobile phone without being aware of it’s harmful side effects. Like trendy clothes, all want to use trendy mobiles to look fashionable.

Flashing costly mobiles is the order of the day. Many carry two mobiles to flaunt at public places.

Just Think for yourself. Do You really need to use a mobile all the time? Can you not do your work by communicating on a land line number? Must you converse in trains, buses , malls and other public places? Will your work really suffer, if you wait to get to a land line number?

Well, if you sincerely analyze the real necessity of a mobile phone in your work/business, you will probably feel that you are unnecessarily using the mobile most of the times, under the garb of business.

Have you ever pondered over the harmful/ adverse effects of mobile usage on your body/brain.

Mobile phones and their link with cancer has been an ongoing debate for decades. Reports received after various studies are inconclusive. Some reports point towards brain tumor while some fail to substantiate the same.

With proper planning and usage, one can safeguard oneself from the adverse effects of mobiles on our body/brain.

Harmful Effects Of Mobiles

Mobile phones and personal communications systems are low-power radio devices that transmit and receive signals in the radio frequency (RF) range 900 and/or 1800 megahertz through a network of base stations. Most countries have brought in regulations to limit public exposure to RF radiation.

Exposure to RF radiation can occur from the base station, and mobile phones.The intensity of radiation decreases a few meters from the antenna. Most of the base stations are located in populated areas therefore, those people living in the path of the beam are more prone to exposure to radiations.

Every mobile has a transmitter and an antenna. RF energy generated by transmitter (one to two watts) is radiated through Antenna. Most of the energy is absorbed by brain since, mobile is held close to the head. Due to absorption of RF energy (expressed as specific absorption rate- SAR) by human body, the tissue temperature of body increases. SAR is measured in units of watts per kg (W/Kg ) of tissue.

However ,If the heat generated is small, the body’s thermoregulatory mechanism can dissipate it without causing adverse effects. If the temperature exceeds this capacity, (about 1 to 2 degree celsius), tissue damage may occur.

Based on the experiments carried out on some animals and human beings (volunteers), some of the adverse affects called as “Thermal Effects” are listed below:-
Penetration of the blood-brain barrier.
Disturbed neuro muscular functions.
Lens opacity.
Reduced sperm production.
Other possible effects are as follows:-
Spending a lot of time on cell phone disturbs sleep.
Studies show that use of cell phones for more than 10 years increase the risk of Glioma
Radio waves from mobile phones do harm body cells and damage DNA.
High blood pressure.
Headaches, Fatigue, Stress
Because of their smaller heads, thinner skulls and higher tissue conductivity, children may absorb more energy from a given phone than adults.

The ICNIRP ( International Commission for Non-ionizing Radiation Protection) has recommended RF exposure levels for general public, in terms of power densities, as 4.5 W/m2 and 9.0 W/m2 respectively for the 900 and 1800 MHZ frequency radiations. Exposures below these levels are harmless.

Surveys have shown that RF exposure from base stations in areas accessible to public are normally much lower than these guidelines. However, the actual levels depend upon the number of channels, total power radiated, multiplicity of the towers in the neighborhood etc.

No surveys have been conducted in India.

The onus for demonstrating safety of base stations now lies with service providers.

The Indian government recently decided to adopt the guidelines issued by ICNIRP, an international science body,

Recommendations

It is in the interest of every individual to use mobiles sparingly to avoid any possible chance of harmful effects of RF radiations on human body.

Next time you use a mobile, please think twice-Can you do without a mobile?

Few people think about the negative effects cell phone usage could have on our bodies,
but research is beginning to bring this matter to light. Radiation from phone antennas
has recently been linked to various illnesses.

In May 2011, the Environmental Health Trust reported that increased cell phone use
affected the blood-brain barrier as well as bone formation in fetuses.
Although the tests were only conducted on rats, Professor Wilhelm Mosgoeller from the
Medical University of Vienna states, “this work provides a warning signal for all of us.”

It goes without saying that cell phone radiation will have a different, probably less
damaging effect on human brains. However, theories have been introduced which name
cell phones to be the cause of brain cancer and tumors, which tend to be near the ear to
which the user usually holds their phone when speaking. The World Health
Organizationʼs International Agency for Research on Cancer Epidemiology deemed cell
phones a possible cause of cancer, partially because of studies done by the Danish
Cancer Societyʼs Institute of Cancer Epidemiology but also due to various other
experiments and tests being done since 1999.

Even after research (now proven to be false) was released warning men against
keeping cell phones in their pants pockets as it could lead to a lower sperm count, few
people paid attention. If you read the ﬁne print in almost any cell phone manual, you are
advised to “hold the phone away from ear when talking.”

“I use my phone all the time, I feel uncomfortable if I don’t have it on me,” said junior
Katie Kennihan. “I could only stop using it if there was direct proof that it would give me
cancer, but until then I need it.”

When originally creating cell phones, engineers and designers did not consider the
incredible popularity of this invention. They didnʼt realize that in the future, applications
would cause cell phones to be such a huge part of daily life that one would keep it with
them at all times. People now depend so much on their cell phones that they are willing
to look past any harmful effects and simply use their devices until told to stop.

A new Greek scientific study has demonstrated how frequency electromagnetic fields, namely cell phones, portable phones, WiFi, and wireless computer equipment, alter important protein changes in the brains of animals. Exposure to electromagnetic frequencies is the result of our advancing technologies, but it is important to study these effects so people know exactly what they’re dealing with in order to take the necessary precautionary measures.

Cell Phones, EMF Negatively Altering Important Regions of the Brain

The study, entitled “Brain proteome response following whole body exposure of mice to mobile phone or wireless DECT base radiation,” was published in the journal Electromagnetic Biology and Medicine. Important areas of the brain such as the hippocampus, cerebellum, and frontal lobe are regions responsible for learning, memory, and other functions. These areas are negatively impacted by microwave radiation, even at levels below the safety guidelines put in place by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation protection.

Researchers found that 143 proteins in the brain were negatively impacted by radio frequency radiation over a period of 8 months. A total of 3 hours of cell phone exposure were simulated over the 8 month time period, and the results showed that many neural function related proteins’ functional relationship changed the for worse.

It is known that short term exposure of microwaves exuded from a cell phone, depending on how far the antenna is from the head, can penetrate as much as 1 1/2 inches into the brain, but this study focuses more on the long term effects and how EMF impacts specific brain proteins. This provides new evidence of the potential relationship between EMF and health complications stemming from EMF such as headaches, dizziness, sleep disorders, and even tumors and Alzheimer’s disease.

Another study conducted by a Russian team of researchers also showed that EMF and cell phones cause significant long-term cognitive decline in children. It may be time for parents to re-determine if young children should really be using these devices with growing bodies and developing brains.

A number of foreign countries are attempting to adopt precautionary protocols to limit cell phone use in an attempt to mitigate the number of adverse effects they have on human health. In 2011, the WHO/IARC released a report stating that cell phone radiation may have a carcinogenic effect on humans. In fact, the World Health Organization actually said that cell phones are in the same cancer-causing category as lead, engine exhaust, and chloroform.

Experts in EMF and wireless technologies are saying that cell phones and similar devices are capable of causing a number of health defects, including depression, body irregularities, infertility and even damaging your DNA.

How Cell Phones are Causing Health Complications, Protect Yourself

A number of foreign countries are attempting to adopt precautionary protocols to limit cell phone use in an attempt to mitigate the number of adverse effects they have on human health. In 2011, the WHO/IARC released a report stating that cell phone radiation may have a carcinogenic effect on humans. In fact, the World Health Organization actually said that cell phones are in the same cancer-causing category as lead, engine exhaust, and chloroform.

Though known, there is a growing contingent of researchers and scientists coming to terms with the fact that cell phone radiation is having a large effect on human health, causing physical deterioration, mental disorders and infertility.

The nature of our society in this day and age leaves little breathing room, however. In a country where cell phone subscriptions actually outnumber the amount of people, you are basically guaranteed to be exposed to cellphone microwaves whenever you enter a social setting. People rationalize that it’s a ‘necessary evil’, and it may be, but the acceptance leads to increased health risk overall. It is for this reason that we recognize the issues and develop a wide-scale solution.

Studies on cellphones indicate that the brain is highly affected by any level of exposure, altering its normal function and causing mental disorders. Younger people are more susceptible to damage from cellphone radiation because their bodies are still underdeveloped.

Research also shows its carcinogenic effect on the body can produce metabolism problems, affect organs, and cause cancer. These devices are also having an impact on our ecosystem, causing the bee population to become confused, disoriented, and soon die from the signals emitted.

Taking steps to avoid exposure to cellphone radiation is important, but it is very hard to completely eliminate the radiation. Simply by talking on your cell phone less will result in less radiation exposure. Even placing your cell phone far away from you instead of in your pocket at all times limits exposure. Although it is a small amount, it is a very simple solution. Another solution for limiting exposure would be to invest in an EMF protector or other similar and very available technologies that reduce exposure.